TL;DR: Could you clip 1" webbing into the top buckles and bottom side buckles of a Stryker to create a frameless daypack (like the Bane), or would the load sling be too floppy between the bag and your back?
Hey, guys. I bit the bullet and ordered a Kifaru Duplex with Reckoning bag. I'm 6'5" and converting from a MR NICE frame, so I'm hoping this is going to fit me much better. It will get used on Western hunts once every year or every other year and on a lot of backpacking adventures, but since I will own it, I'd like to use it for hauling my climbing stand, too.
I currently use a MR Hitchhiker 20 that I sewed a meat shelf into the bottom of and made some other modifications to so that it functions as a load hauler/compression panel with the NICE frame. I carry a 3L hydration bladder in there, along with my safety harness and some layers. I can strap layers to the front compression straps if its really cold, too. In the top, I carry a grunt tube, bleet can, gloves and a hat. But the great thing about the pack is that it still has the tuck-away straps, so when I get to my tree, I dump the frame and put the Hitchhiker on like a normal backpack to climb. And then once I'm up there, I clip the straps around my stand to hang the bag next to me so the stuff in the top lid are accessible. I can also climb back down and wander around with my pack on without having to load up the stand and attach it all to the frame.
It might look a little bit janky, but it flat-out works. It's basically a combination between a Stryker and a Bane, but with a smaller load shelf like on the Reckoning or any other larger Kifaru bag, and I added some female buckles to the molle so when it's not on the frame the shelf loops under and clips up out of the way. Sometimes I'll stash my sit pad in there. (I'll post some photos below to illustrate.)
Anyway, I made all of these modifications before Kifaru came out with their Stryker, so when I saw the Stryker recently, I got really excited. However, it doesn't have any tuck-away straps on it, so it doesn't seem like it's made to function as a daypack without the frame. But it also looks like it would be pretty easy to clip some straps into the top buckles and the bottom side buckles to function as daypack straps exactly like the Bane pack is made to work. I'm not sure how well that would work with the long shelf part compressed against the bag though. Or if it would really even work at all.
Are there any Stryker owners out there who are willing to give this a try for me or just tell me from first-hand experience if they think that could work? Is it worth getting a Stryker and trying to jury-rig it to work like that, or should I just save my money and convert some buckles to further jury-rig my current setup to fit a Kifaru frame? Or maybe I would be better served with a Guide Lid + Organizer Pouch + Grab-It, but I don't think the Guide Lid would give me quite as much space for layers.
Hey, guys. I bit the bullet and ordered a Kifaru Duplex with Reckoning bag. I'm 6'5" and converting from a MR NICE frame, so I'm hoping this is going to fit me much better. It will get used on Western hunts once every year or every other year and on a lot of backpacking adventures, but since I will own it, I'd like to use it for hauling my climbing stand, too.
I currently use a MR Hitchhiker 20 that I sewed a meat shelf into the bottom of and made some other modifications to so that it functions as a load hauler/compression panel with the NICE frame. I carry a 3L hydration bladder in there, along with my safety harness and some layers. I can strap layers to the front compression straps if its really cold, too. In the top, I carry a grunt tube, bleet can, gloves and a hat. But the great thing about the pack is that it still has the tuck-away straps, so when I get to my tree, I dump the frame and put the Hitchhiker on like a normal backpack to climb. And then once I'm up there, I clip the straps around my stand to hang the bag next to me so the stuff in the top lid are accessible. I can also climb back down and wander around with my pack on without having to load up the stand and attach it all to the frame.
It might look a little bit janky, but it flat-out works. It's basically a combination between a Stryker and a Bane, but with a smaller load shelf like on the Reckoning or any other larger Kifaru bag, and I added some female buckles to the molle so when it's not on the frame the shelf loops under and clips up out of the way. Sometimes I'll stash my sit pad in there. (I'll post some photos below to illustrate.)
Anyway, I made all of these modifications before Kifaru came out with their Stryker, so when I saw the Stryker recently, I got really excited. However, it doesn't have any tuck-away straps on it, so it doesn't seem like it's made to function as a daypack without the frame. But it also looks like it would be pretty easy to clip some straps into the top buckles and the bottom side buckles to function as daypack straps exactly like the Bane pack is made to work. I'm not sure how well that would work with the long shelf part compressed against the bag though. Or if it would really even work at all.
Are there any Stryker owners out there who are willing to give this a try for me or just tell me from first-hand experience if they think that could work? Is it worth getting a Stryker and trying to jury-rig it to work like that, or should I just save my money and convert some buckles to further jury-rig my current setup to fit a Kifaru frame? Or maybe I would be better served with a Guide Lid + Organizer Pouch + Grab-It, but I don't think the Guide Lid would give me quite as much space for layers.
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